Vietnam legislators approve plan to restructure provincial administration

After restructuring, Vietnam will have a total of 34 localities including six centrally governed cities and 28 provinces. At the commune level, the reorganisation will reduce the number of administrative units from 10,035 to just 3,321 — a decrease of 66.91%.

The Vietnam government has officially approved a resolution on the administrative reorganisation scheme for 2025, reducing the total number of provincial-level and commune-level administrative units across the country. 

Close to 80,000 state-level jobs are expected to be cut as a result, according to a report on cna. 

With 461/465 deputies voting in favour (accounting for 96.44% of the total number of National Assembly deputies) on Thursday (12 June 2025), the National Assembly agreed with the government's scheme on arranging 52 provincial-level administrative units, including four cities and 48 provinces to form 23 new provincial-level administrative units.

Under the Resolution, Vietnam has 28 provinces and centrally run cities compared to previous 63.

The list of centrally run cities and provinces are as follows: 

Cities

1. Ha Noi,
2. Hai Phong,
3. Hue,
4. Da Nang,
5. Can Tho, and 
6. Ho Chi Minh City 

Provinces

1. Lai Chau,
2. Dien Bien,
3. Son La,
4. Lang Son,
5. Cao Bang,
6. Tuyen Quang,
7. Lao Cai,
8. Thai Nguyen,
9. Phu Tho,
10. Bac Ninh,
11. Hung Yen,
12. Ninh Binh,
13. Quang Ninh,
14. Thanh Hoa,
15. Nghe An,
16. Ha Tinh,
17. Quang Tri,
18. Quang Ngai,
19. Gia Lai,
20. Khanh Hoa,
21. Lam Dong,
22. Dak Lak,
23. Dong Nai,
24. Tay Ninh,
25. Vinh Long,
26. Dong Thap,
27. Ca Mau, and
28. An Giang.

Among them, 19 provinces and four cities have been newly formed as a result of the reorganised specified in Article 1 of the Resolution.

The 11 provinces and cities not subject to reorganisation are:

• Cao Bang
• Dien Bien
• Ha Tinh
• Lai Chau
• Lang Son
• Nghe An
• Quang Ninh
• Thanh Hoa
• Son La
• Ha Noi

At the commune level, the reorganisation has resulted in a reduction of the number of units from 10,035 to just 3,321 — a decrease of 6,714 units or 66.91%. The breakdown is as follows: 

The relevant agencies have been advised to carry out necessary preparations to ensure that local governments in provinces and cities are formed after the official arrangement of operation from 1 July 2025.

Local governments in the provinces and cities prior to the arrangement will continue to operate until the local governments in the provinces and cities are formed, following the official arrangement of operation.

For more information on the arrangement of provincial-level administrative units in 2025, click here.

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Lead image / Vietnam Ministry of Home Affairs

Infographics / Socialist Republic of Vietnam Government news portal